What we drink and how we live: Michael Braverman uncorks the Hamptons.

12/18/2010

Christmas Miracles (of the Alcoholic Sort)

I keep checking Town Pond, Hook Pond and other small bodies of water at this time of year. Just in case a miracle has happened.

I started a few years ago after reading some European folklore tales about water changing to wine, presumably derived from the Gospel of John’s account of the miracle at the wedding at Cana.

Russians believed, and some still believe, that Christ not only reveals buried treasures on the nights between Christmas and Epiphany, but that he also turns the water of springs into wine.

On January 5th, the eve of Epiphany, some Irish leave a bucket of water in the kitchen for conversion to wine. The varietal and vintage remain a mystery. Even with attributes of divinity, the result must be some sort of generic wine, because I can find no indication of any one grape being more consecrated than others.